Corona, CA - At the Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana, the newest member of the Fred Andrews Racing (FAR) Husqvarna team – Andrew Delong – recorded a podium finish in the XC2 class. Meanwhile, Jason Thomas continued to forge ahead, this time racing to a sixth-place finish despite a broken hand!

FAR Husqvarna has added Delong to the team for the remainder of the 2012 season. The 21-year-old National Enduro regular only had two days on the bike before the Ironman GNCC, and still managed to pilot his TXC250 to a third-place finish.

Despite getting off to a “bad start,” Delong made his way into third place by the end of the opening lap. He was pushing for more throughout the race but still ended up in a strong third place for the day.

Jason Thomas injured his hand on Tuesday while out testing with Andrew. The X-rays revealed a broken bone, but nonetheless, Thomas announced that he was racing – broken hand and all. Luck was still not on his side as he had a terrible first lap which left him struggling to overcome a time deficit for the rest of the race.

“The track was the best one this year and I pushed hard today, but I’m so mad,” Thomas lamented. “I was climbing one of the big hills and a spectator was sitting on the hill with a cooler. I had to change my line into a tree not to hit her! I lost so much time on lap one. That cost me for the day. My hand was hurting but I can handle pain.”

“I am so proud of Andrew and Jason today,” Fred Andrews said. “Jason always gives me 110% – he raced with a broken hand! Andrew rode awesome today and FAR Husqvarna is excited to add him to the team.”

Thomas managed to finish in sixth – within seconds of fifth-place. The next – and final – stop on the GNCC circuit is Loretta Lynn Ranch, where the FAR Husqvarna team will be racing on both Friday the 4th and Sunday the 6th of November. Thomas now sits third in the XC2 standings, one point out of second, but with two rounds remaining in the championship, anything can happen!

Corona, CA – Center stage at STAPLES Center, live on ESPN and the talk of downtown Los Angeles… no it’s not Kobe Bryant – it’s EnduroCross making its X Games debut! Zip-Ty Husqvarna was there with riders Jamie Lanza and Ryan Sandoval getting in on the action.

Zip-Ty Husqvarna heavy hitter Cory Graffunder had a practice crash the week before X Games 17, and unfortunately broke a bone in his right wrist (scaphoid) and was unable to compete. Graffunder was devastated to miss out on the action, but showed up to support his teammates in the grandest spotlight the AMA EnduroCross series has ever received.

“This was a huge weekend for off-road racing and I’m just so stoked to be a part of it,” Jamie Lanza commented. “The night didn’t turn out quite how I wanted, but it’s hard to be disappointed when we all put on such a great show. Everyone’s really stoked and we’re all hoping we’ll have a chance to come back next year.”

Ryan “Sandypants” Sandoval got some bonus airtime on “ESPN RISE,” a segment of Sports Center dedicated to showcasing up and coming high school athletes. Sandoval was featured in the July 21 edition of the show in a clip at the end, showing him practicing EnduroCross for the upcoming X Games 17 on his Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna. Click here to view.

“The track was amazing given the time they had to put it together,” Sandoval commented. “It wasn’t that technical to start off, but once they filled the pool with water everything just kept getting wetter and wetter. It was so slippery and sketchy by the end of the night, but I guess it made for some entertaining racing!”

A third Husqvarna racer – Mandi Mastin – made the trip out west for X Games 17, which hosted a Women’s race during the program. The GNCC champion, National Enduro Champion and International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) Women’s World Cup champion scored an invite to the inaugural event, and even though it took place on the day before Mastin was scheduled to fly to Finland for her tenth ISDE, she still found time to represent Husqvarna at X Games!

“That was insane,” Mandi said. “But I had such a blast. It’s just so amazing to be here. ESPN and all the X Games crew are amazing to work with and they treat the athletes so incredibly well. It’s been a fun weekend, and now I’m heading straight for Finland!”

“This was a truly ground-breaking event for everyone,” National Marketing Manager Corey Eastman said. “Not just for Zip-Ty Husqvarna, but for EnduroCross and the entire off-road community. There was such a huge buzz at the X Games all weekend about EnduroCross, and people were really blown away by it. I’m so proud of all our riders and the Husqvarna team for capitalizing on this amazing opportunity.”

FMF/KTM rider Russell Bobbitt started the AMA National Enduro season in the best way possible – with an event win!

Bobbitt, a 3-time National Enduro Champion, is no stranger to winning. After struggling with a separated shoulder throughout the majority of last season, he is back to top form for 2011. It’s no secret that Bobbitt has revamped his training routine since last October to focus more on speed training and overall fitness. All of his hard work paid off when he captured the win at the opening round in Salley, SC.

Not only did Bobbitt win the first race, he dominated the first race. He turned the fastest time in the first three sections before having his first hiccup. “I crashed once in the fourth test which cost me some time and I ended up with the fifth fastest time,” remarked Bobbitt. Despite his crash, Bobbitt still maintained the lead after the fourth test.